While it's not great obviously, I think once the insiders hinted that we have somewhere in the $2-$3M NIL range for football it cemented that recruiting is going to be difficult moving forward. That's just such a big gap between the estimated $10-20M NIL the upper echelon B10 teams are reportedly putting down, and really only competitive with the B10 historic bottomfeeders. It's why I think we have to celebrate the recruiting successes we do get along the way, because it's not an easy path to fix. We need sustained success to be able to start pulling in larger NIL, but to get sustained success, you either need NIL or to really hit the jackpot on multiple recruiting classes in a row where players strongly overperform.
In some ways, being the Illini football fan is like how many of us were when trying to get our first job. Being told that you aren't considered because they want more experience, but how can you get that experience if nobody is willing to give it to you if you don't have it in the first place, and even if you did have that experience, why would you be interviewing for their entry level position instead of one more commensurate with that experience? And the answer is as simple as we just need people to take chances on us. The problem is actually getting that to happen is not so simple. We're going to need solid coaching, development, eye for underrated talent, and some luck. And then once we get that luck, try not blowing our own foot off with a shotgun...
